Ecclesiastes 10:8-20

Caution: The trap you set might catch you. Warning: Your accomplice in crime might double-cross you. Safety first: Quarrying stones is dangerous. Be alert: Felling trees is hazardous. Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle. If the snake bites before it’s been charmed, What’s the point in then sending for the charmer? * * * The words of a wise person are gracious. The talk of a fool self-destructs— He starts out talking nonsense And ends up spouting insanity and evil. Fools talk way too much, Chattering stuff they know nothing about. A decent day’s work so fatigues fools That they can’t find their way back to town. * * * Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup, And whose princes party all night. Lucky the land whose king is mature, Where the princes behave themselves And don’t drink themselves silly. * * * A shiftless man lives in a tumbledown shack; A lazy woman ends up with a leaky roof. Laughter and bread go together, And wine gives sparkle to life— But it’s money that makes the world go around. Don’t bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath, And don’t abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home. Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around. Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.